Monday, May 28, 2012

Quilt + Pillow = Quillow

I had one of these made for me when I was a child. I used to enjoy cuddling up on my bed or the couch with my feet tucked warmly in the pocket. I loved it, so I decided to try to make one for my daughter.

I am not going to teach you how to make a quilt. If you don't know how, ask someone who is a better quilter than me. I've kinda made it up as I went along.

This quilt is three different fabrics.

I cut dozens of 4 1/2" squares and sewed them all together into the quilt top. I made the back with two large panels of each of the three colors. I put some batting in the middle and machine-quilted between each square.

Now I know I don't use a proper border technique, but I don't care. I cut long two inch wide strips and folded it in on itself and sewed it around the edges of the quilt after trimming it.

So that would have been the end of it if I was just making a quilt, but I wanted to turn this into quillow. I made two four-square by four-square panels and added some batting and quilted and edged them the same way as I did the quilt. Next up was sewing that panel to the bottom center of the back of the quilt. I sewed it around the right, bottom, and left sides of the panel, leaving the top open. Sew it on good. It is going to get used and abused.

All done sewing! To turn it into a pillow, fold the sides in even with right and left sides of the pillow panels.

It should be about in thirds. Then, fold the top of the quilt towards the top of the panel, stop a few inches before the panel. Fold that in half.

Turn the pillow section inside out and tuck the folded quilt into the pillow. And now you have a pillow.

You could add any fabric to any quilt or blanket that you already have, as long as the proportions are right.

6 comments:

Just thought you should know, this is adorable! If I had more ambition as a quilter I would totally do this...however, I've got a quilt that I've been working on for three years now that I have yet to finish...STUPID BORDERS! Anyway, I love it and think it's adorable. Great job!

Thank you so much for the lovely compliment! I'm sure you could pull this off. Borders are tough, but if you do them "wrong" like me, they go quicker. And my six year old will probably never know the difference. Good luck!

I know this post is kinda old, but I just found it on pinterest. My Daughter loves this and wants one,and I was wondering if you remember about how much fabric you used/bought. I always tend to underbuy, even when I overbuy. >.< Oh, and approximately what are the final dimensions?

Thanks for your questions, Kat! I am typically an overbuyer. I bought WAY too much fabric to make my daughter a dress and had enough left over to make this quilt. Clearly, I have a problem. The finished size is about 45" x 72". I think you will need about six yards of fabric. I used three different kinds, so two yards of each. That includes the front and back and pocket. Good luck!